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You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site. The assessment will help determine whether you're suitable for surgery and whether there's a strong enough reason for this to be done on the NHS. The final decision is usually made by a panel of representatives from your local Health Board, which will take into account the information from your assessments and review your individual case.
It's important to discuss your problems and options with your GP and an appropriately qualified surgeon before having a breast reduction.
This will help you get a clear idea of what changes you can expect to see and ensure you're aware of any risks involved. For women with very large breasts, the benefits of a reduction may outweigh any potential problems. But for women with only moderately large breasts, the benefits may not be worth the risks. It's sometimes possible to reduce problems caused by having large breasts without the need for surgery.
Breast reduction surgery will usually only be available on the NHS if alternative measures such as these have been tried first. This is because enlarged breasts in men are usually a result of being overweight, and losing weight will often help to reduce their size. You'll normally need to pay privately for breast reduction surgery in these cases. However, breast reduction on the NHS may sometimes be considered if it's caused by an underlying condition, or losing weight hasn't helped.
Breast reduction surgery is an option for women who wish to make their breasts smaller, less heavy and more lifted. If you're feeling very distressed over the size of your breasts or they're causing physical symptoms such as backache, you may be able to have a breast reduction on the NHS see above.
But if you're considering a breast reduction operation to change your appearance, rather than for health reasons, you'll need to pay for it privately.
Before you go ahead, you may want to read Is cosmetic surgery right for me? In Wales, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales are responsible for inspecting independent healthcare organisations in Wales, including those providing cosmetic surgery.
If you're looking in England, you may wish to check the Care Quality Commission CQC website for providers that can perform breast reductions.
All independent clinics and hospitals that provide cosmetic surgery in England must be registered with the CQC. Also, research the plastic surgeon or breast surgeon who is going to carry out the operation. Check the register to see the doctor's fitness to practise history. Breast reduction surgery is carried out under general anaesthetic. Most women are left with a scar around the nipple. With some surgical techniques, the scar will also run down vertically and horizontally across the breast crease anchor-shaped , or just run down vertically to the breast crease.
The operation takes between 90 minutes and 4 hours, depending on the extent of the breast reduction. When you wake up after surgery, you will have dressings on your breasts and plastic tubes may be attached to them to drain blood away. After one to two days, any tubes would be removed and you will usually be able to go home.
Some women experience pain for a few days, which can be relieved with painkillers. It can take two to six weeks to fully recover from breast reduction surgery. You may need to take a week or two off work and shouldn't drive for at least a week. She was also advised to consider whether she wanted children before seeking the procedure. A few years later her GP finally referred her to hospital but she received a letter saying surgery "wasn't necessary". Nicole, from Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, said she then attempted to manage her condition with painkillers and developed a serious codeine addiction.
A second referral in her late 20s again led to rejection because her BMI Body Mass Index was above the criteria threshold. Dr Judy Evans, honorary secretary at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, said far too often women seeking reductions were dismissed because it was seen as a "women's issue" in medicine and that patient's reasons were "cosmetic" rather than practical.
She said: "Breast reduction is an operation which can free people from neck pain, from back pain. It can enable them to do more in terms of good, healthy activities like sport and swimming. It's the most wonderful operation in terms of what it does for the person, but also I believe in the long term it saves a lot of money for the NHS.
However Dr Alex Munnoch, an NHS consultant plastic surgeon, said that Scotland had a "very clear" policy on managing breast reductions and that more women were refused surgery because of the "increase in referrals for cosmetic procedures". He added: "Another concern is that reduction surgery doesn't relieve symptoms. There was a study from a unit in Manchester which showed that for most patients, being fitted with the correct bra could negate a lot of symptoms. Now 31, Nicole was shocked to hear how other women not only shared her condition but had also been unable to get help via the NHS.
Grace Watt, from Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, was 16 and a size 8 when she started experiencing back pain and migraines - her bra size was a 30GG. She also experienced painful rashes and said that stretch-marks on her breasts were so irritated, they would often bleed.
After being told she was "too young" for surgery at 16, Grace tried again after her 18th birthday but despite fitting all the NHS criteria, she was rejected and told she "wasn't a special case".
At that point I had a breakdown, my mental health was a mess, I quit my job and on top of the pain I was self conscious. Nicole took out a loan while Grace was helped by her parents but both fear there are more women suffering in silence because they cannot afford to pay for the surgery themselves.
Since her surgery, Nicole has been promoted and works as an opticians manager. I lost myself for so long I didn't know what I was like. Grace, an administrator for a charity, said: "When I see pictures of myself I sometimes think 'how did I feel like that?
I feel more like myself. Many women, including Nicole, have been refused a breast reduction because their BMI was too high. The NHS says it must be - the Scottish average in was
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